For Your Actions are Mine
by wolfsan11
Summary: The Red Lion has awaited her Paladin for years, but the figure who fights to reach her is neither what she expects nor wants. Yet, after her imprisonment, perhaps this little one is simply what she needs. The Black Lion has been left in the dark for too long. Strung between her two Paladins, past and present, she struggles. In the end, it comes down to trust and saving each other.
1. Red

When it hits her, it hits her hard and fast.

Her Paladin is close by. She can feel them reach out, can feel the wisps of a consciousness curl around hers, for the first time in ten thousand years. After so long (too long), her Paladin is here, they've come for her. Does resistance live on? Is it possible?

She nudges gently at the tendril of that soul, feels it push back with the spark that matches hers.

Tremulous joy and impatience fills her, and she cannot wait a second longer (too long, it's been _too long_ ).

Find me. Find me.

A figure enters her prison, and she's ready. Her Paladin has proven himself, she knows already, his quintessence sings with his worth-

No. No, it can't be. She sees him, she feels him, but this _cannot be him_.

Something jolts in her and a wave of anger and dismay washes over her mind.

This cannot be what she was looking for. This cannot be the one she'd reached out for. But his quintessence is clearer now with proximity, and there is no mistake.

Her Paladin is strong, her Paladin is worthy. Her Paladin is Galran blood under Terran form.

And all at once, she is viciously struck down with the pain of her failures. She is flung back, back to _that_ Galran who had destroyed everything; that Galran who had taken Black's trust and devotion and twisted her for his purpose; he who had so easily disposed of her siblings' dear bonded ones. Her own bonded one.

The decision is made without thought. She will not accept this Galran scum, she will not be led to heartbreak as her sister once was. He has the armour, he has the bayard, but he will _not_ have _her_.

Through the rush of rage, she watches the figure move forward ('bingo'?), watches him place a hand on the barrier, watches him trying to reach her. He is smiling already, as though he's attained victory with that mere act.

"Let's get out of here. Open up."

Leave.

She wants him gone, wants to roar it until there's no doubt of her judgement, but she remains quiet. She will not give him the satisfaction of further connection.

Still he tries, a puzzled frown creasing his face at her lack of response.

"It's me. Keith. Your buddy."

She finds herself cruelly amused by his attempts to connect, by his frustration.

"It's meee. Keeeeeiiith. Your- I am your Paladin!"

No. No he is not. She will not let him be.

Then there are sentries attacking him. His shield is up but he's still trying to persuade her, shouting hoarsely for her approval. She doesn't move, and he pushes away, fighting back with bayard drawn. The short battle is a messy, confusing affair.

She doesn't understand. What are the Galrans doing? Why is he fighting his own-

"You're not getting this Lion!"

…He's protecting her.

He launches himself towards the sentries, slashing at them with enough competence to let her see that he has skill, though he is not yet used to his blade.

He is young. Younger than her previous cubs had been, yet he shines.

But he is outnumbered and cornered, sword against gun, thrown back as his shield dissolves under the barrage and the sword retracts to mere sheath once more. And she will not help him.

He slaps a hand on a console and activates the airlock, feet flying out from under him as the Galran sentries are pulled into the void.

Fool. What is he doing? He will die, he will die so easily, fragile creature that he is.

Her thoughts are frantic and disjointed suddenly, and she does not understand. No, she does not care. She is not this weak.

Let him fall.

He's struggling to hold on to the console, the last one standing in the fight against the vacuum. Slowly but surely, his hands are slipping. He's still reaching out, out, out, and then he is struck by debris caught in the inevitable pull of space, and he loses his grip. She hears him cry out as he's drawn out through the airlock.

What is she doing?

She is losing her Paladin.

No. _NO_.

And with a roar, she awakens.

* * *

Good kitty. Affection and a light pat. Let's roll.

Has she judged well?

* * *

Her little Paladin's heart beats hard and loud, and as he takes her away, back to the Castle (her _home_ ), she catches the tail end of his fear.

He'd been afraid, swung into space with no hope to hold on to, absorbing the sting of rejection from she who had called out to him, only to turn him away just as quickly. She had allowed him to feel that.

He had been afraid and alone for too long (too long); kin to her, with her years of solitude (an empty Terran shack, a barren Galran ship).

She makes her vow, silent and strong. She will never arouse such emotions in him again, never by her own actions nor that of others.

She will keep him safe.

* * *

She is home, she is with her sisters and she is whole; _they_ are whole, their very being linked so complexly with that of the Terran Paladins.

They form Voltron, over and over, together at last after ten thousand years, and they keep fighting and breathing and living. She has never felt more alive, never felt her purpose ring through her with such conviction.

* * *

Her vow is a difficult one. Her Paladin is happy (Keith, she rumbles, and his smile is shy and bright), but he is lonely. He is an odd creature, even to the other bonded ones (but not the Terran with shadows in his eyes and holes in his mind; not him. He is important to her Paladin, he is _good_ ).

The revelation comes later. Keith does not know his parentage, does not know the bloodline he shares.

She will not be the one to pain him.

* * *

The Galran. The _Galran_! The Galran who would call himself Emperor is within her reach; impatience bites at her once more, for she has her role and this is it. Her Paladin knows it too, knows that she has awaited this for so long (too long); in the short time they have been bonded, that same desire has filled his heart.

It is their chance to end this.

* * *

She is weak and she cannot move, even as they are flung away through the wormhole. Her Paladin is safe, she will keep him safe, but her sisters are out of her reach.

She cries out for them as they disappear, one by one.

Not again, _not again_ , she cannot lose them-

Black is with her. Black is here, and it fills her with comfort, enough to cleanse away her panic.

They are pulled apart, but she knows where Black is now, knows where the other Terran is and where her own cub is. He is safe, he is strong and he is hers. She can rest.

* * *

She had failed this time, failed to protect her cub, her Keith. But never again. She will be by his side, this odd Galran Terran mix, and he will never again have to reach far to find her.

Her sisters have always told her she is reckless. The Paladins of old have said she is untrusting and indifferent. But her little ones knew her best, just as this cub knows her now.

When she trusts, she does so with all the depth and mass of a black hole, until pulling away is no longer a choice, willing or otherwise. The Red Lion and the Red Paladin have always chosen that path, all or nothing, long since her form was first carved from the stars and meteorites that littered her home.

Reckless? Most certainly. They say 'impulsive' and she hears 'I can act, I will act'. It is why they are five and not one, for the ability to act is just as essential as the ability to wait, to think, to plan, to support.

For her cub, she will awaken with a roar. For her cub, she will never hesitate to act again.


	2. Black

It begins with a whisper skittering over her mind, awakening senses dulled by time long lost. Eras have passed since she has felt that active and familiar presence.

Her sister is near.

Blue.

Dear Blue is near, and the Paladins of Voltron are on the move.

Hope remains.

* * *

Green and Yellow now. Her thoughts slowly sharpen, a brightness filling her, reminiscent of the old days. They are three and only one is missing.

But Red will be here, she knows.

* * *

Blue, Yellow, Green, Red. Her siblings have come for her, reassuring and so _close_ (for how long has she been in the dark?)

She senses him too, the Terran who awaits her, his quintessence a guide to lead her through. She cannot help but marvel at how well they fit-

Ah. He has-

He has _His_ imprint.

Her cub. No, no longer her cub. He is the _Galran_. Distant and separate from her.

The Galran…He is still alive. And the Terran before her holds His imprint.

So this is why they fit so well. She will never be free of her shame, never be free of the memories-

No. No.

She shakes off the shards of forsaken promises and steps into the light. The Galran does not deserve remembrance, He does not deserve _her_.

Her new Paladin awaits.

She reaches out and knows: they are alike, truly. Both believing too much in the words of traitors, both left in a lurch which folds over them, threatens them even as they consciously fight it.

He is perfect for her, she decides.

And she has been asleep long enough. It is time to awaken.

* * *

Voltron. Together they are Voltron. Her sisters are with her and she is with them, whole, as they had not been in their last union. But this time. This time, she would not fail them.

* * *

She feels _His_ consciousness tug at her sometimes, a frighteningly cold emptiness yawning open beneath her with every prolonged second it lingers. Her new Paladin has that same emptiness within him, that same cold, but it is masked by the rest of his warmth and kindness, pushed away with a force that she recognizes as his own spirit, his own strength.

It allows her to unfurl herself, stretching out her limbs tentatively. She bumps gently against his quintessence and feels a timid prod in return.

Perhaps. Perhaps this will work.

* * *

They train and they fly and they bond. Her Paladin's trust is not complete, but he acknowledges her wisdom and experience, just enough for their link to form. She feels a pulse within her when they move as one.

It is a pulse she thought she would never know again.

He is meant for her, this Terran. But does he see the same of her?

* * *

It can be overwhelming.

Her Paladin is in pain. He is always in pain, and at times, her own aches overlap his, until Paladin and Lion and Black and Shiro settle roughly together, edges scraping against the other.

Her sisters know when things are amiss, but they know better than to acknowledge it. Her Paladin shields himself away from the other Terrans. They are a façade of lies and leadership.

When she can, she reaches out to him, but whether he finds her comfort pleasing is a mystery. She does not play the role of the soother well, but if it will help...

She will do anything for this Terran, if he would remain by her. If he would make that choice himself.

* * *

The little red-clad Terran is a constant. He notices far more than most would credit him for, and she is glad for his presence at her Paladin's side. Shiro's smile is always brighter when the red one is near.

* * *

When battle arrives, she is unprepared for what happens.

 _He_ comes for her and _takes_ her, stronger than ever before with the quintessence rotting purple in His veins. Her roars are forced down as Shiro is thrown out, their connection severed with His suffocating shadows overtaking-

No no no no no NO NO NO NO NO

* * *

Red…beautiful fierce Red, she is at her side and warm as ever. Shiro is safe, and with her sister next to her, the clustered cloud of doubts hanging over her ease away.

When Shiro returns to her, he is wounded.

Shame is a dark deep purple, and Shiro appears to understand her silence, but there is no time for them to converse on what has happened, on the divide splitting wide between them.

The Galran is attacking still, and Red, reckless and impulsive Red (oh, how she had missed her) is at His mercy. Shiro is frantic, calling out for the Red Paladin and Red is on the ground, calling for her, but she is not ready with Him so close, she is not ready for-

"Come on. We got this. Come on, girl."

Shiro.

He does not understand her yet, and she does not understand him either, but she knows well who her Paladin is (this broken Paladin, leading a broken Lion).

However splintered their bond is, she smoothes them over and commits to her duty. Her sisters, Voltron and her Paladin have always come first.

* * *

The wormhole is distorted, bending and twisting them to a music of it's own choosing. Her siblings are pulled away (not again…will it never stop?) until only Red remains (Red), and they hurtle together towards a wasteland of a planet.

Towards a very hard fall.

* * *

The battle has left her torn and reeling from the _wrong_ within her. Something has happened. She cannot move.

Shiro is injured, side decorated a poisoned purple (purple, always purple, but he is not _Him,_ Shiro is not _HIM_ ), and even then, he leaves the shelter of her side in his need to find the Red Paladin.

She is no one to stop that devotion.

* * *

There are strange aliens on this planet and she is too damaged to even snarl a warning.

Shiro is attacked and she is helpless and drained (fated to be left behind), watching as her weakened Paladin collapses. A mournful sound leaves her, but it does nothing, helps no one, and Shiro is battered by the creatures which hope to make a meal of him.

All at once, the Red Paladin is before her, seeking entrance.

"I know I'm not Shiro, but he's in trouble! We need to help him."

She had not noticed him, drowned as she was in her despair.

But here, no questions need be asked and suddenly, she is mobile once again.

She grants him entry without thought and when she feels that quintessence meet with her own, she understands. Red's affection for this little one is well-deserved.

Strength thrums through her, bright and burning. The feeling is an artifact of a time long gone but it is here now, powerful and undeniable.

And an odd thought flits through her, that Shiro deserved to see her at her best.

She roars.

* * *

Green comes for them, and her siblings nuzzle at her when they are reunited, curious and excited by her newfound resolve.

The Galran… _Zarkon_ would be just as curious to see her as she is now.

She plans on showing him, nonetheless.

* * *

"Work with me."

Her mind may be set, but her Paladin is still hesitant, something withering within him at the memory of losing control to Zarkon.

"What do I have to do to strengthen our bond?"

It strikes her all at once then. How much she had misunderstood him.

It begins with their bond, their trust.

And Shiro believes in her, though it has taken her too long to see it. She knows now to look back and trace it, knows now that he has trusted her so since the moment after they'd first formed Voltron.

But he is afraid to trust himself with her. And the current flaw in their connection lies in him believing such a flaw exists at all.

Her realization lifts what little remains of her sorrow. This, she can fix.

* * *

She shows him, in the best manner that she can, unconventional though it may be. The astral plane is a mere dip in space for her and she takes him there, allows him to find out on his own.

* * *

Zarkon, once more, Zarkon, everywhere she goes, she cannot esca-

"It's about earning each other's trust!" Her Paladin's words ring with the truth he beholds and he _shines_. She feels that pulse grow once more within her and lets it out with a defiant roar.

Zarkon will not touch her Paladin again.

* * *

"Did you just save me?"

It is worth it, when Shiro finally grasps what she wants him to know.

Her soul burns warm, warm as the smile on his face.

* * *

They fly and fight and bond, and they have a plan to oversee. Zarkon will fall today, Zarkon will-

* * *

 _Pain pain pain he's gone pain he's gone he's gone wrenching pain her cub is gone she's alone PAIN she's failed them all what has she done SHE LET HIM GO_

* * *

Red's cub stands before her once more, shoulders pulled in tight. She feels his grief and threads of uncertainty, a deep sense of loss and…ah.

There's that spark. There's that determination that so meets her sister's approval.

"I'm getting Shiro back", he says. A declaration that he clearly does not intend to take back. He has neither time nor thought to spare for fear and failure.

She likes this cub.

"I'm getting Shiro back", he repeats, and a goal like that does bear repeating, "but I'll need your help again to do that. So…please. Help me find him."

He does not realize. He does not realize that he need not ask, not really. He needn't have asked that first time she'd let him in either.

Her loyalty lies in these bonded ones who love her sisters so, who fight so fiercely and feel so fiercely and leave their mark on all that they touch.

She will do all that is asked of her, for her Shiro to return.

* * *

She awakens once more.


End file.
